Employees with the Municipality of Havre-Saint-Pierre located in the Minganie RCM in the North Shore Region have voted in favour of a mandate to resort to pressure tactics up to and including a strike if it is necessary.
At a general meeting last night, the 25 outside and inside workers unanimously rejected the employer`s final offer. Their collective agreement expired on October 1, 2020.
“Negotiations began in January 2022, and after 14 meetings, it is obvious that the employer has nothing better to offer us than rollbacks on working conditions, which is unacceptable,” said CUPE union representative Charlaine Sirois.
The main sticking points are wage increases and the group RRSP.
“In reality, the municipality is asking us to agree to something that would leave us less well-off in an already extremely difficult economic environment,” particularly here in Minganie,” added union president Jonathan Richard.
The parties met today. The union believed up to the last minute that a negotiated settlement was possible. However, given the municipality’s unwillingness to budge, the union had no choice but to request mediation from the Ministry of Labour.